


Hellequin

by CajunSpice714



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Demon!Kylo, F/M, Graphic depictions of violence - Freeform, Graphic depictions of violence?, He likes blood, I'm shit with tags, Major Character Death is here, My cinnamon rolls need hugs, Snoke is Hades, Snoke is a dick, but it's a canon one so it's okay, but it's history., gimme suggestions if you think of any I've missed, he's a demon., mentions of non graphic suicide, sweet and sensual moments, there's some stabby stabbing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-08-09 10:00:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16447697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CajunSpice714/pseuds/CajunSpice714
Summary: He had been here for as long as he can remember, far longer than memories go, but not once had he seen something as curious as the day he met her.  When Kylo Ren, servant to the ruler of the Underworld, enters the Realm and collects his charge he quickly realizes that something isn't right. How far will he go to correct the wrong that has been created and will that mean for him in the end?





	1. Chapter 1

 

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/155896046@N03/44885656644/in/dateposted-public/)

 

He had been here for as long as he can remember, far longer than memories go, but not once had he seen something as curious as the day he met _her._ Snoke had told him that there was a new member marked to join their ranks, a murderer who had killed three before ultimately meeting his end with a bullet through the jaw. He was a murderer and Kylo wanted that for himself. Murderers are the worst kinds of people, worse than rapists and abusers, for the murderers that were sent to him were cold blooded killers who stalk their prey and did untoward things before ultimately ending their victims. He had met many a man (and a few women of course), who were the type of depraved souls that he liked to claim and bring forth to meet their demise at the gates of Snoke’s kingdom. He was eager to meet this new soul and welcome him into the nefarious world of his master.

 

His boots are heavy, black as night, and they thump loudly on the obsidian trail that leads to the gates of the stables. His dark steed awaits him and Kylo gives a barely there smile as he pats the blackened muzzle of his only friend. The others, Knights of Ren Snoke calls them, all try to find ways to gain favor, to repent and remove the dark binding collars of Snoke’s grasp; but Kylo knows that gaining favor with the gods is impossible, and he has long ago accepted his fate. He saddles and mounts the horse with practiced ease and they move as one through the stables and out onto the path that leads him to The Veil.

 

The chase is the closest thing to fun that he has during his time enslaved under Snoke and he anticipates a great flight. When The Veil parts around him and allows him entrance to The Realm he is met with silence. The others reveal their positions to him easily, his vision picking up the dark red of the collars in a colourless world. Even though The Veil parts to let them through they never set foot on actual earth. They cannot take souls from the living, only those that have been marked for he and his Knights to take. The Realm allows them access to the souls that are there, but no more and no less than what they are rightfully allowed.

 

They prepare for a great hunt, hoof beats creating loud thunder in the air around them, the shocks of great electricity sparking when they burst through items no mortal could pass. His target is west, he can tell by the crackle of static drawing his attention away from the herd, away from his Knights to a village near the sea that he remembers only in dreams.

 

Away from the others he rides, the collective sound of the pack fading further and further away as the scent of lime and salt begin to assault his senses, and he sighs out a deep breath. It is dark, but the world is alight in silver. Moonshine, he remembers it being called as a child. The goddess smiles down upon him for this ride, because she knows that even though his soul is damned he helps keep balance on the surface of her pride. He tastes fear in the air and purrs to himself as his tail flicks back and forth along his saddle.

 

His job is simple, seek and retrieve the souls of the damned and bring them forth to Snoke’s kingdom in the depths. When he breeches the serenity of the forest into the clearing where his mark lay he is greeted by quite the scene.

 

One man has welded link chain twisted grotesquely around his throat, his face dark and eyes darker, yet his soul does not call for Kylo’s guidance. Another is covered from neck down in blood, gasping as he reaches for something, someone, unseen to Kylo from where he sits atop his horse. The third looks at Kylo with interest, his soul standing in the clearing over his body, but this is not his mark, no. His charge stands, looking at pale hands smeared dark.

 

He can taste it on the roof of his mouth as he takes a deep breath, a low grumble settling in his chest as he observes his charge. Blood covers a white tunic and bare skin, hair darkened by the lifeforce of the others who lay gasping in the clearing. The pale being looks up, gazing upon Kylo’s knavish face and dark horns, and bursts into tears.

 

Most souls accept their fates and come willingly, others run. Kylo has never had one cry before.

 

He steps down from the saddle to stand in front of the being, a dark red ring encircling a pale throat and he tips the tear stained face up with a frown, his eyebrows dipping in confusion.

 

His charge is a lass.

 

Not a woman, no, but a girl. She is still a virgin, he can tell, and she is distraught as she looks upon his face. Tears ripple down her cheeks and along her chin and throat, but what surprises him isn’t the fact that she is female, no. It’s that when he releases her chin, intent on stepping back to call to the others to collect their charges, the small thing flings her arms around his waist and buries her face into his chest, sobbing as her tiny hands cling to the dark feathered fabric of his cloak.

 

“Thank you for coming for me.”

 

Her voice is soft, broken, and his frown deepens as he wonders what she could possibly mean.

 

He stares down at her for a moment before looking over to the other spirits. Hoofbeats sound nearby and Kylo panics. This girl, barely older than a child, was destined to be one of the damned under Snoke? He looks around the clearing as his companion’s shouts grow near before he makes a snap judgement. He moves his charge towards his horse and feels how she trembles under the gaze of the red-eyed beast.

 

“This is Rowan.” He takes the girl by the waist and hauls her up into his saddle. She makes a noise to protest but he shushes her, swinging himself up behind her. She sniffles as she settles back into his chest and he ushers Rowan to move. He wants to leave the area before his compatriots gather, collecting the other souls nearby.

 

She’s solid and warm against his chest. Hellequins are only able to see the circlet around the neck of their charge and no other, so he knows that she has been designated by the gods as his, but he wonders why. This small thing has to have a reason for why she is where she is and why she has been designated as his.

 

“What happened back there?” He asks when he feels The Veil pass over his shoulders and her skin cool slightly. Instead of heading to the gates to Snoke’s kingdom, he presses Rowan forward to the stables. When they enter his charge has stopped crying, only sniffling a bit here and there.

 

“They… they had been holding me captive for weeks. I don’t know how many, but I got free and I knew… I just knew they were going to kill me so….” She lets out a shuddered breath before dissolving into tears once more, “I killed them. I killed them and now I’m going to hell. I deserve to go to hell for this. I took someone else’s life.” Her sobs shake her shoulders and Kylo dismounts so he can pull her from his horse.

 

“Come now. They were going to kill you. Defending yourself is not a sin. It’s not, sweetheart. We… We’ll get this cleared up, you have my word.” He dips down onto one knee and takes her face in his clawed hands. He’s tall, eye level to her when he’s kneeling and he dips her head so he can look into her eyes. “We’ll fix this,” he whispers and she nods with a sniffle.

 

He stands again and leads her up the path to his home, pressing the dark door open. His home is made of the dark obsidian that is so popular to the kingdom in which he resides, and his boots echo on the gleaming floor as he walks. She doesn’t make a sound, he notes, glancing at her from the side to observe her quietly.

 

He takes pause outside the bathroom and turns to her. She blinks up at him but he gives her what he thinks is a smile, making sure his fangs are tucked away behind his lips before carefully taking her small hands in his and tugging her to follow him in. He sighs genty as they enter and he tastes the blood in the air, his attention flicking to her hands in his.

 

Kneeling before her again he takes one of her hands and draws his tongue carefully along her palm, humming at the heady coppery taste. She doesn’t make a sound but he feels her shiver. His eyes flick up for a moment, intent on gauging her reaction but their eyes lock and a tingle runs itself down his back. He sucks one, then two fingers into his mouth, running a fang and then his tongue along the grooves of her fingers and under her nails, trying to rid delicate hands of the dirt and blood that lingers there.

 

When he is satisfied that her hands are clean and his desire is sated, he pulls away and stands once more to tug her closer to him.

 

“Let’s clean you up, little dove,” he states softly before starting the water in his shower. Their realm is interesting in its mechanics, much like the mortal realm, just without the mortal part. He brushes his fingers through her blood caked hair, loosening it from the tie at her nape. She shivers under his touch but doesn’t waiver as he reaches over to test the water. It’s cool on his skin, everything is compared to her warmth, so he tucks her fingers under the water. She shivers but hums. “Is it too cold?” he asks.

 

She shakes her head and he nods, kicking off his shoes before taking her hands again and stepping backward, submerging himself, still fully clothed, into the stream of water. He pulls her to him and watches as she shivers for a moment before moving his claws through her hair again.

 

She’s a wonder to him as she lets him smooth his large hands over the wound on her scalp and the bruising on her jaw. He reaches for his soap and carefully scrubs the blood from her face, observing the freckles that appear across the bridge of her nose and the way the colour shifts in her gown from white to pink as the blood drips from her hair onto the garment. He’s curious to know if the freckles touch her shoulders as they do her nose and the small cleft of her chest that he can see past the bindings of her shirt.

 

“They do,” she whispers and he startles back .

 

“What?”

 

“I have freckles on my shoulders and across my back and hips as well.” She tells him and he frowns.

 

“How…..?” Kylo asks, licking his bottom lip as his eyes dipped lower before flicking back up to her face.

 

“I don”t know,” she admits. Without a warning she reaches down and pulls the gown from her body and Kylo steps back, a frown set across his face.

 

“I don’t.. .That’s not why I brought you here, little dove.” His voice was strained and he fights to keep his eyes on her face as he clears his throat.

 

“Why did you bring me here then, Hellequin?” A tingle runs down Kylo’s spine at his title and he hums swallowing thickly.

 

“To clean you up and return you to Peace.”

 

“Peace?” she asks, her voice suddenly shy.

 

“ Yes, little dove. You do not belong here. You did nothing wrong. You belong amongst the angels, not with us demons down here.” He turns the water off and steps from the shower, pulling out a towel to drape it around her small frame. “Dry yourself and I will give you something to wear and we shall go.”

 

The freckled girl nods her head obediently, using the large towel to dry herself off before following him once more through the house. His heavy footfalls echo loudly across the empty halls but hers do not, and he almost forgets her presence for a moment until he turns to enter his room. She watches him with wide, owl-like innocent eyes, and he frowns as he watches her tremble..

 

“Here.” He pulls a shirt from his drawers and offers it to her, turning so he can retrieve dry clothes for himself. He enters the large, barely occupied walk in closet and quickly changes, willing the sopping wet clothes away.

 

He jumps when he turns and  sees her standing at the opening of his closet. As he wonders how long she has been watching she responds, “Not long,” and shrugs, disappearing back into the bedroom. He follows, frowning deeply as he pads sock-footed back into the room to find her gone.

 

A soft giggle lilts through the air and the hair on his arms sparks in goosebumps before he feels compelled to follow the sound, seeking her out. He finds her several minutes later, standing in the middle of his atrium and he pauses, lips parting in surprise.

 

He had been here for as long as he can remember, far longer than memories go, but not once had he seen something as curious as her standing amongst millions of brilliant dark purple blooms in an atrium that had been long since dead.

 

Kylo has no memory of ever seeing anything as beautiful as the sight of this young woman, dressed all in white, amongst millions of dark purple blooms. She is like the sun to a budding solar system, her fingers touching dead vines and bringing them to life with a sort of magick that is as unfathomable as is it impossible. As she steps along the path, sprouts curl along her feet, branching out to decaying vines and feeding them with the darkness that blooms into blossoms that unfurl into the beautiful silken petals.

 

He reaches out and pulls one from its branch, cradling it in one hand and taking in the softness against his skin, before watching in shock as it crumbles to dust in his hand.

 

“Oh.” He must have made a sound of distress because she is beside him in a breath and her soft exclamation draws his attention once again to her face. She steps forward to touch the dust in his palm. It shifts colour but does not bloom and she frowns up at him.

 

“I’m sorry,” Kylo whispers. He is unsure what he’s apologizing for, but she gives him a blinding, brilliant smile and rests her hands in his. He watches with wide eyes as she creates a bloom for him, his large hands cradling her smaller ones and watching as the small thing glitters in the ever changing lighting of the night sky above their heads.

 

_What are you?_


	2. Heartless

 

 

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/155896046@N03/32013046358/in/dateposted-public/)

He stares at her in wonder, his hands holding her small ones as she creates a bloom for him. It’s beautiful, just like her, but a mixture of colours that look as if an artist had flicked his black filled brush across a white canvas. “What are you?” he asks aloud, breaking the spell that has been holding them.

 

She blinks down at their hands before pulling hers away with a frown, her bottom lip trembling as she looks at her feet. “This place, it calls to me. I know not why or how, but I feel like I’m meant to be here.” Her words freeze the chilled blood in his veins and he stiffens as he feels The Veil settle.

 

“Our opportunity has been lost,” he states, watching as his clawed hand reaches up to cradle her small cheek without his permission. He observes the way her eyes flicker down his wrist to the dark blue scales that cover his hands but taper off at the bend in his elbow. He doesn’t know what his scales feel like to her, but he marvels at the way she dips her soft cheek further into his caress, nosing gently at the sensitive spot on his wrist.

 

He lets out a slow breath before pulling her closer, compressing his large frame so that he can press his nose along the bare skin of her neck, breathing in the scent that had earlier been obscured by blood. For as long as he can remember, he’s only smelled sulfur and blood, only tasted pain, despair and death; but this, her own sweet mixture, causes his stomach to tighten and a fire to ignite in his blood.

 

He pulls her closer, dropping himself to his knees so he can devour more of her. She smells of the crisp cool air of winter before a snowfall and sunflowers in summer and she tastes of compassion, hope, and joy. His core throbs with the need to covet her, to keep her as his and get drunk off of the heady scent of her existence.

 

“Can I keep you?” he hears himself ask, but he doesn’t feel the shame that should accompany such a request. A tingle runs along his spine as her caramel eyes make contact with his black and red and he trembles under the delicate touch of the hand that brushes ebony locks from his face.

 

“You may,” she whispers, and he feels like all of the weight in the world had been lifted from his shoulders as he presses his lips to the origin of her scent and licks a long slow line along the collar at her throat, humming at the taste of things he had thought long passed for him eons ago. Her free hand, the one not occupying itself with the dark hair at the nape of his neck, settles on his chest, her energy warming the dark stone that lingers there, under his midnight cowl.

 

Her breath softens as he sucks the spot that screams to him and she collapses with a soft, surprised gasp. He settles her on his folded knees and pulls his mouth from her neck, brushing his nose along her ear and under her jaw before pressing a gentle kiss to her mouth, allowing her to taste him as he has tasted her.

 

“Hellequin,” she whispers as Kylo pulls away. He frowns slightly, pressing his forehead to hers as he tries to catch his breath.

 

“Kylo. They call me Kylo.” His voice has dropped a few octaves and his chest is heaving as he replies.

 

“I’m called Rey,” she responds, her fingers moving from his chest and hair to trace the sensitive scales along the underside of his jaw and behind his ears. The purr that comes from his chest startles them both, but when she moves to pull away he catches her hand and returns it back to that spot.

 

“Don’t stop, little dove,” he pleads. He fights it, but he can’t help the way his shoulders and back relax as her warm little hands stroke soothingly along the rippled flesh of his scales. His eyes close as her hands slide up into his hair. The feel of her nails stroking along the base of his skull is heaven, but he feels like he’s been electrocuted when her fingers brush along the horns on his head. Electricity cackles down his chest and into the pit of his stomach, causing him to gasp out in surprise and pull away from her. Her eyes are wide as she scrambles back away from him, planting herself firmly onto her ass in the trickle of wild flowers she had previously grown.

 

“I’m sorry,” she whimpers, and Kylo shakes his head, crawling on his hands and knees until he’s looming over her and able to take her chin in his hand.

 

“Don’t be sorry. You did nothing wrong.” He presses his lips to her forehead before pulling away. “You just startled me, is all. I wasn’t expecting it.” He shifts to his feet and offers his hand, licking his bottom lip like a small nervous child. “Our opportunity has passed to reenter the Veil. We shall have to wait for the next opening to come before we can get you to Peace.” His voice is full of sorrow, not for being unable to get her to where she needed to be, but at the thought of his return to loneliness when she leaves.

 

* * *

 

Rey blinks up at the dark creature in front of her before settling her hand into his. He’s massive all over and she should feel intimidated by the obvious size difference between the two of them, but she isn’t. She just feels safe. She tries to keep her hand from trembling as they walk through his home, but the cool stone at her feet and the bare existence of the over-large shirt she wears isn’t enough to keep her warm.  She pauses when she catches him look back at her, watching as his pale brow dips into a look of concern. She’s less than surprised at the state of his body when he pulls his cowl over his head.

 

He grumbles as the cowl gets caught on one of his horns but Rey giggles, reaching up as far as she can on her toes to untangle him before he settles the cloth over her shoulders. He’s warmer than she had imagined and she remembers how his chest had been warm but the scales at his neck had not. Curious.

 

He turns and leads them further into the house, back the way they had come before, and she observes him quietly. His massive scaled frame reflects light, the muscles in his back causing his scales to ripple and wave as they walk, and his tail flicks lazily against her waist. When he turns to her he seems almost human. His horns are small bent things that match the colour of his ebony hair and his chest and upper arms are bare. He wears dark pants that cover his lower half but she had noticed, earlier, that the scales of his back also looped around to outline the defined V of his hips and lead.down to fully scaled legs and back up to his...  
  
"Like what you see, little dove?" Rey jumps, her cheeks heating as is caught staring at the large being that is now her keeper.

 

“Just thinking,” she replies, dipping her head shyly to look at her feet once again. Her heart patters in her chest and she feels like he has kissed her all over again, her breath coming out in quick little bursts.

 

“What about?” he asks, tugging her hand a little so she is walking closer to his side. She stiffens for a moment as something warm wraps itself around her waist, while his hand is still occupied by hers. She glances down at the offending thing and blinks, giggling gently as his tail flicks against her hip from its place wrapped around her waist. Using her free hand, she strokes her fingers gently along its soft warmth and giggles to herself again when she hears his breath shudder. His tail is made of the same scales as those along his ears and under his chin and she wonders if they’re just as sensitive.

 

She continues to run her fingers over the soft warm heat of these scales as they walk, calm settling itself in her chest as they go.  Most people, she imagines, would be terrified of the knavish creature who was brought to her upon death, but since passing through The Veil she hasn’t felt anything but comfort and calmness when in the presence of her very own Hellequin. Lightning crackles and splinters over head and her companion sighs, his tail falling from her waist as he turns Illuminated eyes to her.

 

“I have been summoned,” he whispers, his voice strained as his fingers curl around the dark stone she had felt but not seen before.  “I must take my leave of you for a while. It shall be short, I promise, and when I return we shall get you some more suitable clothing and something to eat.” He guides her up a few stairs until she is level with him before pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of her mouth.  “Go rest while I am gone. Take any bed you please and it shall be yours during your stay here.” Rey’s smile deflates as she feels him pull away. She cannot do anything other than watch as he disappears from view with a quick wave of her hand, and a heavy feeling settles in her chest.

 

* * *

 

Kylo’s summons leads him to the door of his lord and master and he sighs heavily as he appears on the doorstep. He has been a servant of Master Snoke for as long as he can remember, but only recently has he began to wonder what exactly his purpose is in his Master’s harem. He shifts his hair from his eyes and enters the massive castle where his caller awaits.  The throne room is an enormous open chamber in the heart of the castle, decorated in red hanging tapestries with red guards standing at intervals around the room. He steps in with his eyes low and moves to his place on the carpet before dipping to his knee. “You’ve summoned me, Master Snoke?”

 

A rumbling of laughter echoes through the throne room and Kylo fights to keep the ill feeling in his stomach from raising up into his throat. “Oh young Ren, master of the Knights of Ren, how have you fared this wonderful night?” Snoke always asks a report on the nights of harvest, but Kylo cannot give him an honest answer. “Well? What say you, boy?”

 

“The charge you sent me to find was no where on the plain, my Lord. I searched the entirety of the time we are allotted and found nothing belonging to me ---

 

“You mean to me, of course.”

 

“Of course, Master Snoke. I do not know whether the others found their charges but I believe mine may have been snatched by a Peacekeeper while I was in flight.” The tension in the air thickens, then snapd. A crackle of electricity, wielded as a whip by his master, strikes his face, neck and chest, splitting skin and tender scales alike, and causing Kylo to growl low in his chest but remain resilient not wavering from his position.

 

“You disappoint me, Boy. Begone from my sight before I send you to Hux and his legion.” At his master’s dismissal Kylo finds himself shoved into shifting from the room. He lands painfully in a heap on the floor of his own foyer, allowing a whimper to escape before the sound of small feet moving quickly over cold stone meets his ears.

 

* * *

 

Rey had been exploring Kylo’s expansive home when she heard the sound of rolling thunder come from the foyer where she had just been. Startled, she heads back down the stairs and peeks around the corner before letting out a small sound of surprise and dashing across the cool floor to the heap of black that was Kylo.

 

“Shhh… I’ve got you,” she whispers, pressing her hands through his hair and shushing the anguished noise that rises into the air from her dark keeper. “I’ve got you, what happened?” She sits on her knees at his side, carefully running her hands along his jaw. She gasps as he pulls away with a low growl. Tears well in her eyes for a moment as she sits back but when she looks down at her hands she notices a sticky silver substance on her hand. “You’re hurt,” she whispers, moving back onto her knees to reach for his face again.

 

“Leave me, “ he growls, pulling away from her and climbing to his feet to stalk away. Sniffling, Rey gets to her feet and moves quickly to follow him, her fingers closing around two of his large clawed fingers.

 

“No,” she whispers, licking her bottom lip before moving to stand in front of him. “No. I won’t. You didn’t leave me or send me to become a heathen so I’m not leaving you.” She reaches up and tugs on the wrist of his other hand, trying to force him to pull it away from his still bleeding face.

 

“You shouldn’t worry yourself about me,” he argues, but she shakes her head and moves to tug him along and leads him into the kitchen.

 

“Here, sit.” Her voice is a commanding whisper, forceful yet soft, and she can’t help but smile to herself when he obeys. She finds a cloth tucked in one of the drawers and runs it under warm water, looking over her shoulder as she does. “What happened?” she asks softly.

 

She shuts off the tap, wrings out the cloth, and moves back to him, standing between his knees as she reaches up and dabs gently at the start of the wound, right above his eyebrow. “Snoke.” She’s so close that his deep voice rumbles in her chest, but the tone suggests something darker.

 

“Who is that?” she asks, gently dabbing along his eyebrow before moving to press gently under his eye. Warm hands grasp her hips as he lets out a low growl. “I know it hurts but you’ve got to make sure it’s clean.” He has the good sense to look properly chastised and she continues to press the cloth lower.

 

“He’s my boss. The head honcho. Runs this joint. He’s displeased because I couldn’t find my charge.” Rey’s eyes flick over the wound before taking in all of the scars and marks along his body with a soft sound of displeasure.

 

“This is because of me. I gave you this,” she whispers, tears welling in her eyes as she dips the cloth lower along his jaw.

 

“No. No.” One of Kylo’s clawed hands stills her hand on his jaw, the other cups her cheek in his palm, lifting her chin so he can look her in the eye. “Don’t ever. Don't you dare blame yourself for this. I’m doing what’s right. You don’t belong here and I’m not going to let you stay here longer than you have to.” His thumb brushes along her lower lip and she can’t help the way her tongue darts out to wet her lips in that moment, brushing along the pad of his thumb in the process. A shock of electricity jolts through her and she lets out a soft startled breath as her eyes lock to his.

 

“I’ll get you to Peace. I promise,” he whispers, and then his lips are on hers, easily stealing her breath. She crumbles against his chest with a soft noise from her throat but he holds her steady, his hand moving from her wrist to her hip, the low grumble in his chest nowhere near as frightening as the noise he had made earlier.

 

She presses her hands to his shoulders, using him as an anchor before parting her lips for him, allowing the entrance of his decadent tongue into her own mouth. He makes the noise again and her empty hand drops lower before she pulls away with a jolt.

 

“What’s this?” she asks, fingering the dark stone tethered to a cord against his sternum. She doesn’t miss the breath that escapes his parted lips or the way his hand tightens on her hip when she touches it.

 

“My heart.” His voice is soft, almost shy as he watches her take the stone in both hands, eyes wide as they flicker from the stone to his eyes and back.

 

“Truly?” she whispers, in awe of the brilliant red stone that seems to pulsate in her palm.

 

“Truly.” She can hear him swallow and looks up licking her lips again.

 

“Why is it on a cord and not… not where it’s supposed to be?” she asks, fingers still stroking it gently, wondering as it warms in her hands.

 

“I...ah.” He clears his throat. Rey’s fingers freeze, and she looks up at him. “It's what Snoke does to you. He rips it from your chest and curses it. The ones who don’t make it past his tests become the soulless. The ones who survive become his Hellequins. Our reward for passing is the return of our heart. It’s never the same, after the deeds we have to do, and you can’t place it back because it’s locked away in ice. It’s been dead for millennia.”

 

Rey feels a soft noise leave her throat before she pulls away to wet the washcloth again, resuming the cleansing of his wound. She can feel his eyes on her as she mulls over his words.  His hand finds her hip again and he pulls her closer, her hips pressed against the apex of his thighs, a low grumble coming from his chest as she dabs at split scales that weep sliver, her heart fluttering in her throat at their closeness but not protesting. It was nice to feel needed for once.

 

Once she is sure that the wound is clean, Rey leans up to press a gentle kiss on his cheek before pulling away to rinse out the cloth and set it aside.

 

* * *

  


Kylo watches her pull away, confused by the sudden silence. He observes her closely as her small hands wring the water from the cloth before she sets it aside. Those same hands grasp ahold of the edge of the sink so tightly that the knuckles turn white. Her shoulders begin to shake as he stands and his concern grows before he crosses over to her, his large hand brushing from shoulder blade to shoulder blade as he dips down onto one knee, cupping her face in his hand and turning her to him slowly,

 

“What upsets you, little dove?” he asks, and  his voice is softer than he ever imagined it would be. He brushes tears from her freckled cheeks; he can’t help but want to try to soothe her.

 

“You. Your heart. I just… You’re so kind. How did you end up in a situation like this?” she asks, letting out a soft sob. She closes her eyes, more tears falling from the red-brown lashes as her nose wrinkles and her eyebrows dip into a look of pure distress.

 

“I’m not kind,” Kylo replies, shaking his head. “I’m a monster.”

 

“That’s not true,” she whispers, eyes still filling with tears as she looks up at him. “That’s not true.” She reaches her hand out to touch his cheek and he hums at the warmth before dipping down to press his lips to hers gently.


	3. Nightmare

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/155896046@N03/44497537760/in/dateposted-public/)

Kylo sighs gently as he paces his study, groaning while rubbing his hands over his face. He has fucked up royally. The only way he could possibly fix it was to turn Rey over to Snoke, but that was out of the question. He had made a promise, and he intended on keeping it. He had put his little dove to sleep hours ago but could not sleep himself. Lightning strikes overhead, but he cannot bear to leave her, not without having a plan. He grumbles to himself as he walks through his home, then exits out into the patio that overlooks the stables and homes of others within his ranks. He contemplates them for a moment, wondering whether any of them would be willing to help him, but the list comes up short. No one here he trusts, and no one would he trust with something as damaging as holding a lost soul captive in his home until the veil lifts. 

 

A small sound draws his attention to the house and his focus finds the noise quickly. It’s coming from the room he had given to Rey to spend her time in while he was away doing other things that needed to be done. The sound is so small and pitiful he can’t help but teleporting to her room, alarm ringing through his veins as he seeks out the source of her distress. When he enters her room, he finds her sound asleep, curled in a ball on the edge of the bed, crying out softly. His heart warms against his chest and he frowns, shifting to settle next to her and brush his hands through her hair. A shock tingles itself along his palm and wrist, but he shakes it off and continues on his mission to soothe her.

 

He knows prying eyes will possibly upset her, but he wants to know what distresses her so. As he dips into her dreams he can't see images, no --  just swirls of colours melting into darkness -- but he can feel the feelings, and hear the memories. A small girl screaming, “No! Come Back!” causes him to swallow thickly before pressing on, trying to unweave her thoughts to settle her mind. “Please don’t leave me,” whimpers through her mind, and he tries hard to ease her fear by pressing his forehead to hers and whispering sweet nothings.

 

His words, words he had thought long forgotten from poems and songs he had learned ages ago, soothe her troubled mind and she settles into a soft slumber, her mind a blur of colours and songs and cheer. He pulls away and lets out a soft sigh before heading to his own chambers across the hall, her memories and the weeks tasks weighing heavily on his mind.

 

* * *

  
  


Rey blinks when she sits up. She’s in a room unfamiliar to her and shivers as she stands, looking around curiously. This place is bright and beautiful, like nothing she had ever seen before with her own eyes. “Is this a dream?” she asks aloud, her voice being overshadowed by the yelling of other voices. She takes in her surroundings and notices she’s looking at a scene unfold. A woman dressed in all white with her hair up in a gorgeous braid is standing with her arms wrapped around her chest while a man with brown hair gestures wildly, voice raised and angry sounding. To her left she sees the door shift; she stiffens seeing a small being blink and turn away. Rey takes note of the other two before following the child through the door. 

 

When she finds him again, he’s whispering to himself. Rey’s heart breaks for the small boy, curled up with his arms wrapped around his knees and his head pressed down onto them, loud sobs bubbling from his throat. 

 

“Ben.” A voice hisses, dark and foreboding throughout the room and Rey stiffens, turning on her heel to face the threat head on. He’s a dark, ugly thing with half of his face caved in and empty eyes; a willowy figure cloaked in night. “Ben, you can end this, come to me.” Ben shakes his head, looking up at the creature with terror in his eyes. “M... Mummy said you’re not real. You’re not real. Go away.” He lets out a loud cry, shoving his hands out to protect himself from the vile creature, but Rey gets there first, dropping to her knees and wrapping herself around the small boy. 

 

The pain she anticipates never comes; instead the the scene changes and they’re in a basic bedroom. Everything is dark and marble and he’s standing there dressed in a dark tunic that matches her own. He’s her height, not an inch more, and she startles at the realization of how young he actually is, how long he had fought Snoke’s influence before his hand was forced. His hands are over his ears and he is yelling, screaming in the same devastatingly raged out way she had heard before when he had come back from Snoke’s call.

She steps forward and then they're so close she can touch him. In the moment she does she can feel it; the heavy weight of the something screaming in his head. All the agony and pain he has just caused, killing younglings and teenagers in their beds, the utter destruction of students of the light all thrown together into one loud sensation of anguish and pure and total devastation.

Her eyes prickle and sting and with her hands still around his shoulders, his head bowed to her breast with loud screaming sobs, she notices that they are not alone. The image of the vile creature standing not far away startles her and dread fills the pit of her stomach when he looks at her; not through her to Ben but  _ directly _ at her.

Her gasp is loud enough that it causes Ben to look up, and the scene shifts again.

 

“You, you shall do as I ask or Rome will never be free my son.” Ben stands before a man dressed in black. He has a dark blade in hand and he nods, licking his bottom lip before he seeks out the rest of his compatriots. He has been chosen, along with a few others by a being called Snoke. Snoke has put the thoughts and images in the Senators’ heads that this man will be the end of their great republic and bring totalitarianism to their beautiful home. Ben knows of the plan, and what it means for his soul, but he also knows the pain and grief their target has cast upon him and his poor mother. Oh yes. Han Solo,  **_Dictator perpetuo_ ** of Rome has to die -- and Ben has to be the one to make it happen.

 

He joins his co-conspirators in their positions at the  _ Theatrum Pompei  _ and waits for the opportune moment to take his chance. It comes several moments later when his father appears and is distracted by the other senators in their presence. Twenty three stabs send the Senators into a frenzy, all disappearing with the claims that Rome is finally free.

 

Ben’s hands shake as he drops the knife. He stares for a long, hard moment before turning and running from the building as quickly as he can, the weight of his sin heavy on his shoulders. That night, he throws himself from the highest cliff into the raging _Mare Nostrum_ and his mother loses not just her husband, but her son as well.

 

Rey draws back, sucking in a wail of surprise as she stumbles backwards out of the bed and onto the floor. 

 

“Little bird?” His voice is deep, like the warm winds of summer, as he turns to seek her out. His face is relaxed and he reaches a clawed hand out for her. She doesn’t think, just rests her hand in his and allows herself to be tugged up onto his bed once more.

 

“Are you alright?” he asks, and Rey chews her bottom lip and shakes her head.

 

“I don’t.. I don’t know how I got here,” she whispers, “I came to and was… I think I was in your dreams? Your memories? I don’t know what they were but they were terrifying and I just….” Her words are cut off by the sob that escapes her. She’s not crying because she is scared, no, she’s weeping for the boy that Kylo had been before he had become a minion of the darkness.  “You were so young,” she whispers, her heart breaking as she reaches out to gently cup his jaw in her hand, brushing her fingers over warm flesh and cool scales. His dark eyes close and a rumble escapes from his throat, a purr that makes the breath catch in her chest. 

 

Her entire life, Rey had been told to never wander alone during the time of The Flight, for if she did she would be snatched by Hellequin and become one of the damned. Here, in the presence of her very own Hellequin, she cannot summon up any fragment of fear. She feels only awe as she scratches the scales along his jaw and neck before brushing tentative fingers up, along the bare skin of his adam’s apple. She feels him swallow under her touch, but moves her hand away again. He catches her wrist, his eyes fluttering open so that he can give her a look before he frowns up at her.

 

“Don’t stop,” he whispers and she complies, using her free hand to carefully brush along his newest scar. “If you wish to know me you shall.” His voice is soft and gruff and the sound of it relaxes her.  “I don’t remember my memories often. They linger for a while after I wake, but other than that they fade just as quickly.” Rey makes a soft noise in her throat before she follows the scar down his neck and across the smoothe planes of his chest. He purrs again when she brushes the scales along his side. 

 

“Wh-when… earlier you startled when I touched your horns. Why?” she asks, wiggling her hand free from his grasp to card both hands into his hair. She enjoys the sound that escapes his throat far more than she wants to admit, but suddenly his large hands are encompassing her small waist and he shifts her around. The initial position is uncomfortable for a moment, he is too wide for her knees to reach the bed, so straddling his chest is out of the question. He shifts her so one of her bare thighs is clasped in his large hand and stretched across his stomach as she is cuddled against his chest, her head nestled against his shoulder as he looks down at her with wide observant eyes. . 

 

She can feel him purr and it reaches her core. She shivers as a tingle curls it way through her stomach and groin.

 

“Relax, Little Dove. I’ll never hurt you.” One hand rubs along her back, palm to fingertips covering almost the entire space from shoulder to shoulder, and the knuckles from the other hand brushes along her calf and up to her knee and back. 

 

She has had man’s hands on her before, sure, but never have they set her skin afire as his do now. She lets out a soft breath as long fingers brush up her side and trace the swell of her breast and back while she cards her hands into his hair again, fingertips gentle in their search for the patch of scales at the base of his neck.

 

His whole body ripples under her when she brushes the base of one horn, and she lets out a soft sound as he presses her closer, her core pressed against his ribs as he lets out a shallow startled breath.  She does it again and the reaction is the same, his hands enclosing around the calf across his stomach and the same hip.

 

“Rey.” The way he speaks her name ignites a fire within her. She gasps as she presses closer to him, and the hand on her hip shifts to cup the cheek of her backside in a wide palm. She lets out a loud squeak, bucking against him when that palm moves away to give her a quick, startling swat. “You’re teasing, Little Dove.”  The breath leaves her lungs at his tone of voice before she hums, shifting a bit higher to stroke the base of his horn again. 

 

“Was this the tease?” she asks, receiving a low grumble before she presses herself against him once more, “Or this?” Another swat comes, but she can see the mirth in his eyes and a wicked idea crosses her mind. Wrapping her small hand around his horn she gives it a tug and he melts beneath her. His fingers dig painfully into her calf and curl into the shirt at her hip as the air leaves his chest in a low grumbling moan. Rey watches his eyes flutter closed, his head dipping into her hand as he gasps for air and she has half a mind to be concerned until he chuckles breathlessly. 

 

“D-Do that again…” 


	4. Fight or Flight

Kylo wakes with a startle -- not from night terrors as every other night, but from the realization that his bed is empty. Was it all a dream? Were her soft breaths and tender touch a manifestation of his lonely mind? He runs a hand through his hair, lamenting the loss he feels settling around him, until he hears a bark and a soft giggle. Startled, he stands, making his way quickly down the stairs. The sight that greets him in the kitchen makes him pause. Kylo’s hunting companion, Sigastíras, is a massive black thing that seems to fade in and out of visibility as she sits, tail thumping against the floor. What surprises him isn’t that Siga is in the house, no; it’s that Rey, who is a good pode shorter than Siga, is scratching the massive creature’s chin and chest with obvious glee.

 

He watches, licking his lips in confusion. Siga is huge, one spithamē larger than Kylo’s 7 podes  height, and he cannot begin to fathom how Rey is not afraid of her. He’s so distracted by his thoughts that he doesn’t realize Rey notices him lingering near the door. “Oh, hello.” Her cheeks are dusted a light pink and he can’t help but smile at her reaction.

 

“Good morning. What is that you’re wearing?” He gestures to the crown on her head, and Rey smiles more. 

 

“It’s Christmas. This is Ivy, Holly and Mistletoe. I found them in the atrium this morning.”

 

“Christmas?” he asks, and Rey tilts her head with a frown. 

 

“Christmas. It’s when Jesus was born?”

 

“I haven’t followed mortal events since I died, Rey.” 

 

“How long ago was that?” she asks curiously.

 

“I’m not actually sure. What year is it?” He scratches the slight patch of scales along the underside of his jaw, feeling her eyes scan over him.

 

“1713.” she whispers. Kylo frowns at her with a hum.

 

“I died the year that the great Han Solo was murdered, as you well know, so that would be, well…”

 

“One thousand, seven hundred and fifty seven years,” Rey whispers, her little pink tongue darting out to swipe along her bottom lip. “I suppose the semantics don’t really matter. The home I was raised in wasn’t very religious, but we did decorate and sing carols for the holiday, going around the town collecting money for the poor.” A shy smile spreads across her face and Kylo moves to sit at his table, watching her with rapt attention.

 

“I remember from some of my lessons that the Grecians celebrated Saturn on a day near Christmas. Did you ever celebrate it?” she asks.

 

Kylo nods,standing from his chair to seek out a book from the shelf, which held a few things from his past life that he had accumulated from the beings he gathered along the way. It is not often that physical possessions cross over the veil, but when Kylo wills it so, it is so. He pulls a thick tome from its place on the shelf and returns to the table.

 

Rey bounds over with eager joy and settles herself near, her hip resting against the table at his elbow. He cannot resist reaching for her so he does, his large hand enveloping half of her waist in one palm to pull her close, settling her upon his knee as he opens the book with the other hand.

 

“When I was a boy we celebrated Saturnalia, which was a devotion to the gods of agriculture, including Saturn.” He flips through the pages of the old tome and settles on a page with a variety of scenes encased within. “It was absolute chaos. Everyone closed everything down, people wore crazy colours and even slaves were no longer slaves for that time. It was madness.” His fingers sweep across the text written there as he reads aloud, “‘ _ Today I was picked the fool by the family and what a great day it was. Wine was spilled and I shan’t clean it and my wandering hands were not met with dismay but with laughter as the girls ran away teasing ‘Molon labe, Molon labe’. _ ” Kylo can feel Rey’s heart pick up -- it’s beating a bit faster, as he presses himself along her back, his lips to her ear.

 

He shifts his hand up her stomach, feeling the warm heat of her body against his palm, a low purr rumbling his chest. “I think you would have enjoyed it.” 

 

“Hmm?” Her attention seems to be elsewhere, and she jumps when he presses his lips to the heated skin of her neck.

 

“Alright, little dove?” he asks, brushing his nose along her ear and chuckling at her shaky nod.

 

Lightning crackles nearby, and a rumble of thunder causes them both to jump. “I’m being summoned, little one. I will be back when my task is finished.” He presses a kiss to her temple, before easing her from his lap and standing to disappear into nothingness.

 

* * *

  
  


Rey startles upon the return of Kylo, his eyes are wide, panicked as he paces the foyer. “Kylo?” she asks, hurrying from the chair upon which she has sat for countless days. His scales are split in multiple areas and she cannot help the ache in her chest as he turns from her with a piteous noise.

 

“We need to get you out of here. You need to leave!” he grinds out. She can feel the darkness emanating from him and it makes her pause, tears welling in her eyes. With a soft noise she reaches for him and this time he lets her greet him, lets her touch his black bloodied face and she can’t help the tears that fall.

 

“What happened?” she whispers, brushing blood from his face as tenderly as she can.

 

“You did.” His voice breaks at the confession, and the breath is seized from Rey’s lungs so quickly that she can do nothing but collapse to her knees.

 

“Y-you… I-I didn’t choose this Kylo,” she whispers, the tears making her voice rough and thick. “I didn’t choose any of this.” 

 

“No. No. You misunderstand.” Kylo’s massive frame is suddenly hovering over hers, his forehead pressed to hers as he cradles her cheek in his hand.

 

“He...My master. He can see everything a-and he saw… and he knew so I…” The memories flow like water from his mind to hers in such quick succession she cannot utter a word, only cry silently as they bombard her.

 

_ “Ah, Kylo Ren, the strongest and bravest of my knights. I have seen many great things tonight.” Snoke’s wide grin unnerves Kylo, the happiness exuding from his master one Kylo had only seen once, when Kylo had first set foot into the underworld after his death.  “The fates tell me a great many things to come, but they have also told me a many great things about you, my young apprentice.” _

 

_ “I assure you, my lord, there is nothing to know that isn’t already known.” His words sound hollow in his own ears but he remains, knelt confidently before his master. _

 

 _“They tell me of the crossing of a lass, culled the night you went out seeking AND MISSING your mark.” Snoke’s tone turns from nonchalant to teasing. “ If you wanted something to break your solitude I would have gladly spared Phasma or Hux for your pleasure.” The cooing voice sends shivers down Kylo’s spine but still he does not look up. “But no, the Fates have told me that you have joined and_ BRED _with her.” The worlds stop for a moment, everything freezing the already cooled blood in Kylo’s body. Could that possibly mean?_

 

_ “You, Kylo Ren, leader of the Knights of Ren, heir apparent to Darth Vader, have failed me.” This causes Kylo’s attention to snap to Snoke in surprise. _

 

_ “I have given you everything.” Kylo dips his head again, no longer willing to look at the monster before him. _

 

_ “And yet I can see how truthful that sentiment is. Remember Kylo, I see all. I’ve seen her awakening and her power and you  _ WILL _ bring her to me.” A strike lashes out splitting the scar along his face open again. He does not flinch, only recesses deeper into his own mind, avoiding thoughts of Rey and whether or not he could betray her like that, Snoke’s interpretation of their acts aside. Snokes words blur together as lightning strikes his skin and scales repeatedly as if commanding Kylo to comply, but he cannot. His tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth and his mind is moving a mile a minute and he doesn’t know -- _

 

_ “--whore or you and she shall perish together.” Kylo’s head snaps up and the breath leaves him all at once. _

 

_ “What? What did you just say?”   _

 

_ A cruel smile spreads across Snoke’s face. A thread of lightning sparkles in his hand as he pauses mid swing. “Ah. You care for her.” The chuckle that follows is low and breathy. “Kylo Ren, the leader of the Knights of Ren, has fallen for the spirit of a girl the fates are calling ‘Kore’. They claim she is the incarnate of Persephone, therefore she is  _ mine _. I will tell you once more. Bring  Her. To. Me”  _

 

_ The useless breath stops in Kylo’s lungs as something, a tingling unknown power, surges through him, a fiery agony surrounding him for a moment before it pulses outward, dark wings of flame billowing from around him and he can feel the fire building within himself, his fingertips cracking with the dark flames. He looks up, locking eyes with Snoke as he stands. _

 

_ “No.” _

 

_ Chaos ensues. Guards sink in from every angle as if summoned, but Kylo tears them down with practiced ease. “NO!” He shouts again, the world quaking around him as he makes his way to Snoke. The elder’s eyes have gone wide looking at Kylo, but the emotions there don’t register as the hellequin charges his master. _

 

_ “You shall not have her.” Lightning strikes his chest but he doesn’t balk, doesn’t shatter from the sudden impact as he had been lead to believe he would. Both entities take pause as Kylo’s shirt falls from his body, his pale chest scar marked, but bare. _

 

_ “Your heart.” Snoke states confusion turning to terror to fury. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH YOUR HEART?!” _

 

_ Kylo uses this distraction to attack, landing a vicious blow to the man’s torso before he is able to disengage and retreat. He has an idea of where his heart may be, but he’s surprised by the fact that at the moment he cannot worry for what shall happen to it. He has faith she will treat it well. _

 

_ Wounded, Snoke turns, disappearing into the blackness of his chambers and Kylo elects to not pursue him, fearing for Rey instead. _

 

Rey emerges from the memories with a gasp, as if breaking the surface after spending too long under water. “Kylo.. what … I don’t understand.” Her tears are still freely falling but she takes comfort in the warmth of his hands on her. “I don’t understand.”

 

“We need to get you out of here,” Kylo’s voice is pained, his face crumpled. 

 

“But you said yourself it’s impossible to break through the veil without there being a culling.” Kylo shakes his head, pulling the small woman to him and pressing his head against her chest, his forehead over her heart and his nose pressed against her diaphragm. 

 

“Please.” He begs and Rey doesn’t know what he’s asking as he slides his warm hands up her body, one hand grasping her hip while the other slides up under her dress to cradle between her shoulder blades. She can only run her fingers through his hair as this terrifying creature falls apart at her feet.

 

“Kylo,” she whispers, fingers brushing dark locks from his face and tracing along his horns. Her tender touch earns her a shiver from the beast that had haunted her dreams as a child, but never had she known fear quite like what she was experiencing now. Her entire world is being ripped apart, her axis being thrown off balance by the realization that she doesn’t want to be without him, this dark devious creature of the underworld. 

 

“Kylo, please. Please come with me. I-I can’t…. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She bends over him, pressing her face into his hair as the sobs shake her body, tears falling into his dark mane before blooming into petals of red and white  _ Primula.  _  She sniffles as he pushes her away, looking up at her with utmost devotion spread across his features. He strokes the tears from her pale cheeks and leans up on his knees to kiss her tenderly. She cannot stop the tears from falling, nor the way that they fall, furling out into a multitude of flowers upon their tunics and skin. 

 

When he pulls away they both marvel at the floration upon his skin, surprised that the flowers have yet to wilt as the night bloom he had touched shortly after her arrival had done. “What have you done to me?” he asks, his voice breaking, and Rey can only shake her head, pressing her lips to his again in a searing desperate kiss.

 

“Please. Please do not send me away,” she whimpers when they part, her small hands curled tightly into his tunic, her breath panting gasps against his mouth. She sees the look he gives her and it renews the tears; he has made up his mind.

 

When he forces her hands from his shirt and they part, he stalks away, leaving her reaching for him once again like a small pleading child.  The warmth leaves the room with him and she clutches the jeweled heart at her breast, darting quickly after him. “Please don’t do this, Kylo! Please!” she begs, a gaping hole forming in her chest when he does not reply.

 

He remains silent as she beseeches him, falling upon her knees on the stable floor as he readies Rowan, her fingers wrapped tightly around his heart and her other hand gripping tightly to her skirts at her knee. “Please, no,” she gasps as he pulls her to her feet, forcing her upon the mount in front of him. She turns to fight, clawing and mewling and beating him with her fisted hand where she can reach, trying to gain something, some reaction to tell her that this is destroying him as much as it is her. Still he remains silent, his eyes trained to the path they take.

 

When the Veil parts over them Rey’s breath is stolen for a moment at the sudden dullness of the world. Everything is muted and grey as they gallop along, Rowan’s hoof beats the only sound echoing across the abandoned Plain. She does not know where they are headed, only that Kylo’s hand has wormed its way around her waist, up her stomach and chest to grasp gently at her throat, a sensation of pure intimacy within his touch as his fingers linger along the pulse on either side of her throat. 

 

The black steed halts in front of a massive tree and Kylo dismounts first, taking Rey down from the saddle after him. He looks at her one more long moment before turning her and pressing her forward. They stand at the base of a large outcropping of rock, and Rey’s breath halts in her chest as she looks up. The large tree has three equally large branches jutting from its base and she looks back at Kylo, her eyes wide as they well with tears. 

 

“Please. You need to go,” he whispers, his voice breaking as he presses her forward again. 

 

“Kylo?”

 

“The past needs to die.” She watches him as he looks at the tree before she moves forward, clutching his heart in one hand and reaching out the other towards him.

 

“Kylo, please. Join me. We can have peace together.” He turns his face from her, and she steps forward again but cannot, meeting a barrier she hadn’t felt close around her as she had approached the tree. “ Please, don’t go this way! Kylo! Kylo please!” He mounts the horse, not even looking back at her as she screams after him again. 

 

“Ben!” His name makes him pause before he turns to look at her once more. She can feel the energy cackle between them and a sob escapes her throat. “Ben! Please don’t do this!”

 

“Please. Please go,” he whispers, before he turns and presses Rowan forward. He disappears into darkness only moments later.


End file.
